Find your way through The Gambia!
The roads in The Gambia are not similar to the roads in The Netherlands. We are used to beautiful sealed roads, while in The Gambia, most of the roads are not paved. In the Netherlands we have 139.000 km of public roads, but in The Gambia they got only 2700 km of roads. If you go to The Gambia during the rainy season, you need to avoid unsealed roads, because they are impassable when it is raining. However, if you get stuck in the sand, the local people will definitely help you out. If you would like to rent a car in The Gambia, you will find the most car rental companies in Banjul and Serrekunda. When renting a car, you need to be at least 23 years old and in possession of an international driving license. Be aware of the fact that the traffic rules in The Gambia are less strictly than we are used to in the Netherlands. It can be chaos on the roads with walking people, animals, cyclists, mopeds and overloaded trucks. There are special tourist taxis in The Gambia that you can recognize by their green colour. These taxis have fixed prices, however, it is not strange to negotiate or ask for discount. The ordinary taxis in The Gambia are yellow and these are mainly used by the local population. In some areas there are no green taxis, so you can take a yellow one, or if there is no yellow taxi, you need to take a green taxi. If you are satisfied with a specific taxi driver, you can ask this number and call him for all your taxi trips. In addition, there are also ‘bush taxis’, which are minivans that drive from one place to another. These ‘bush taxis’ do not have a timetable, which means that the taxi leaves when the van is full. This could mean that you have to wait for a long time. These taxis can be recognized by their yellow colour with a green stripe and a yellow license plate.
During the colony era, several small railways existed in The Gambia, but since the 1960’s, the railways do not exist anymore. The Gambia River is really important when it comes to transportation. The waterways consist of 390 km and the port of Banjul receives about 300 ships every year. There are multiple ferries that go from Banjul to Barra, which is located on the other side of the river. When you fly to The Gambia, you will arrive at the Banjul International Airport.
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